MicrosoftEvent App

Creative Direction, Experience Design

Microsoft approached our team to explore the possibility of supporting their various events with apps. The core tool would need to be brand-able, and offer a number of unique features which would be enabled per the needs of each event. The focus of my assignment was to explore functionality and use patterns.

To tackle the assignment, the team selected a sample event — Microsoft's annual Build Conference. I defined a user profile, and researched real experiences at conferences, including previous Build events. I detailed a user journey which began to define possibilies for functionality. Group working sessions brought together business goals, user needs, best practices, and innovative solutions.

To bring our concepts and recommendations to life for our client, I created a high fidelity prototype which lives within a rich user journey. Functionality recommendations stress empathy for a user who has just arrived in a new city at a bustling event. The presentation follows the user's journey, with explorations of functionality at core milestones.

In all, the team defined and examined over 40 unique functions and features which could be enabled to support a variety of different events, including Build. Additional lighter-weight journeys were provided to support alternate applications. Microsoft used this conceptual exercise to determine app features, development goals, and strategy for digital support of their events.